The Cat & the Queen
by cries havoc
Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_The chapters get progressively longer, so bear with me. This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**_** now**, okay bye, enjoy.

Sighing softly after saying goodnight to Anna, Elsa pushed the door to her room open. The queen sat heavily on her bed, feeling the last bits of adrenaline drain from her body. It had been such a long day. A long few days, and now she was home again. The gates were open, Anna was okay, _Elsa was okay_, and Arendelle could resume life as usual with summer returned to the small nation.

Flopping back, Elsa let her eyes close, only to open them again when a small mewl sounded from next to her head. Glancing to the side, the blonde sorceress found herself staring into the eyes of a small grey cat.

The cat mewled again, whiskers twitching, as it reached a small paw up and batted Elsa's nose.

"Hello there," Elsa chuckled, sitting up and turning, bringing her legs up on the bed as the cat padded closer. Elsa allowed the cat, barely big enough to not be called a kitten, to crawl up into her lap, smiling as it sniffed at her ice dress. "How did you get in here little one?"

Purring, the cat rubbed its head against Elsa's hands, seemingly unfazed by the natural chill of her skin.

Elsa frowned, feeling a roughness against her palms, and picked the cat up for a closer look. "Oh, little one, some of your whiskers are singed. Did you get too close to a candle or a fireplace?"

The cat licked Elsa's nose and wriggled to be let down.

Sighing, Elsa put the cat back in her lap. "You should be in the stables with the other critters," she yawned, suddenly remembering how tired she was, "I'll take you back in the morning." Elsa spent a few quiet minutes petting the small animal, silently admiring its grayscale fur and how funny the shortened whiskers made the cat look.

"Time for," the queen yawned again, "for bed, cat." Elsa stood, gently setting the cat down on the floor and turning to her wardrobe. With a wave of one hand, her ice dress disappeared, quickly replaced with a thin summer nightgown. As she walked back and settled into bed, Elsa couldn't help a sleepy chuckle as the cat struggled to pull itself back up the blankets.

"Oh, fine, c'mere you," Elsa giggled, scooping the cat up as it got halfway, leaving small tears in the queen's blanket with its tiny claws.

The cat purred happily and curled up in the queen's arms, licking her nose again.

Smiling, Elsa let herself relax. Tomorrow she would take the cat to the stables, but for tonight, after everything, at least she wasn't alone.


	2. Chapter 2

_Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_The chapters get progressively longer, so bear with me. This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

Sunlight beamed across the floor of Queen Elsa's bedroom, heralding a beautiful summer morning. The queen dozed lightly, mostly awake, but too content to move just yet. Her small, purring companion was a warm ball in her arms. Every time Elsa moved to get up the cat whined softly, opening its green eyes to look imploringly at her. Elsa finally rolled her own eyes and sat up despite the cat's unhappy face and noises.

"I'm sorry, little one, but I have to get ready for breakfast." Elsa tried to sound stern, knowing animals reacted more to a person's tone of voice than the actual words.

The cat rolled onto its back, paws lazily moving in Elsa's direction.

"Stop being so cute," Elsa fought a smile, "you're going back to the stables where you belong."

_Knock knock kno-knock knock._

_"Elsa?"_ Anna's voice filtered in from the hall.

"Yes? Come in, Anna," Elsa called, absentmindedly letting her hand trail over the cat's belly as it purred again.

Anna poked her head around the doorframe, grinning at her sister, and walked inside, closing the door behind her when she saw that the queen was not yet dressed for the day. Gasping, the princess dashed closer to the elder woman's bed, eyes wide. "You have a cat? She's so cute!"

The grey cat jumped up, surprised by Anna's loudness, and hissed, fur spiking.

Elsa chuckled as Anna backed up a step. She reached her hand out in front of the cat's face, distracting it and smiling gently as the cat slowly calmed down.

"You scared him," She looked disapprovingly at her sister.

Anna grimaced sheepishly, approaching the bed again more slowly and sitting on the edge. "Sorry little guy. I didn't mean to. And I called you a girl, so sorry for that too," She added, putting her hand out near the cat's nose for him to smell her.

The cat looked over at Elsa instead and walked around to her side, away from Anna, curling up and purring once Anna was out of his line of vision.

Elsa shrugged at Anna, who looked insulted, "He doesn't like you, apparently. Don't worry about it," Elsa patted the princess' arm lightly, "I'm taking him back to the stables anyway. He's not mine. He wandered in here while… I was away."

Anna frowned, both at her sister's words and at the memory of the past few days. "Why not just keep him? He's cute, even if he's mean." Anna stuck her tongue out childishly at the cat's back.

"He's not mean. He just doesn't like you," Elsa shot back, picking up the small cat and cradling him close. "You're not mean, are you little one?"

The cat licked Elsa's nose in reply.

Despite herself, Anna had to giggle at that. "Okay, he's still really cute, even if he doesn't like me."

Elsa smiled at her sister. "Yes he is, but I'm not keeping him."

The cat mewled, grabbing both women's attention again. He pawed at Elsa's face, as if he understood her intention.

"No, little one, you belong with the other animals. Outside."

"Oh, you're making him sad, Elsa!" Anna pushed her sister's shoulder as the cat fussed in Elsa's grasp, whining pitifully.

"Stop, both of you," Elsa found herself laughing, feeling nothing but happiness as Anna dramatically leaned into her, pleading the cat's case.

"But Elsa, he's so sweet to you, just keep him!"

The cat kicked his short legs and squirmed, mewling louder.

"Okay!" Elsa laughed, falling to the side with Anna curled against her shoulder and her new pet now happily purring just below her chin. "Fine, you can stay cat."

"Good," Anna put in, nodding her head resolutely. She reached out to pet the cat's grey coat, pausing her arm in midair when the cat immediately started to growl at her. "Your cat really doesn't like me, Elsa."

Elsa sighed, "No he doesn't." She ran her long fingers through the cat's fur, calming him again.

"What are you going to name him?" Anna asked, snuggling closer but keeping some distance from the grey furball.

"I'm not sure yet," Elsa replied, "I'm sure something will come to me."


	3. Chapter 3

_Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_This chapter is actually shorter (bad writer puppy), but they do get progressively longer from here on out, so bear with me. I crowd sourced for the cat's name on tumblr a while back - thanks to everyone who made suggestions! This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

"How about Frost?"

Anna was sitting upside down, legs crossed at the ankle, hanging half off one of the armchairs in Elsa's private study. She had been suggesting names for the queen's cat all week.

"No," Elsa flipped to the next page of the report she had been trying to read for the past half hour.

"Snow?"

"No."

"Snow_flake_?"

"Anna, no," Elsa finally looked up and sent the princess an exasperated look. "I'm not naming my cat after snow, or winter, or ice, or…." The queen trailed off, blinked, and shook her head. Looking back down at her reports, she tried valiantly to block out her sister's voice.

"Elsa, you have to! It's just so perfect. He's grey!" Anna swung around in her chair, sitting upright and curling her legs to the side. She tried to lean down and pick the small cat up from the floor, but he hissed and abandoned his task of destroying the upholstery of Anna's chair, running over to hide under Elsa's desk.

Chuckling, Elsa rolled her eyes. The two had made no progress. Anna kept trying to force affection on the skittish animal, who clearly preferred the quiet and calm that Elsa provided him with. _We are a good match_, she thought as the cat tried (and failed) to jump up onto her lap. She absentmindedly picked him up mid-jump and let him settle.

"I know that, Anna. I have eyes," she paused to reread the same paragraph for the fifth time, "but just because I have powers doesn't mean everything has to be winter-themed."

Anna huffed, "Well, no, but it's just so cute. He's so cute. Even if he scratched me. Again."

"He scratched you because you tried to pick him up," Elsa said, only half paying attention. "You know he only lets me pick him up."

"Not true!" Anna glared at the cat as stood on the queen's legs, his eyes just reaching over the top of the desk. "He let Kristoff pick him up yesterday."

Elsa sighed, looking up again, "That's because Kristoff is calmer. You're… excitable."

Anna shrugged. "He'll warm up eventually. How about Chocolate, if you insist on a non-wintery-name?"

"No."

"Captain?"

"No."

"Cuddles?"

"Really, Anna?"

"Picasso?"

"That doesn't even make sense," Elsa sighed. "How about Icicle?"

Anna beamed, "Yes! Icicle! Oh, it's perfect, Elsa!" She bounced in her chair, clapping her hands and generally being very… excitable.

Icicle hissed again, claws suddenly digging into Elsa's thighs.

"Ow! Anna, shut up!" Elsa grimaced, gently cooing at her cat and prying his paws off her legs. She glared over at her sister, who had the grace to look apologetic.

"Sorry, Elsa. Sorry, Icicle. Gosh, I should really work on not scaring him," She frowned, genuinely upset at herself.

Elsa sighed, letting Icicle bump his face against her palms, smiling a bit as his singed whiskers tickled her cool skin. "That would be nice, dear."

After a few minutes of quiet, during which Elsa _actually_ finished one report and moved on to the next, Anna fidgeted in her chair again and spoke up in a purposely soft, calm tone. "You should get him a collar. I mean, he's the queen's cat. That's important. _He's important_. He should have a nice collar."

Elsa smiled over at the princess, nodding her head. "Yes, that's a great idea. Would you like to help?" The blonde sorceress quirked a brow, already knowing the answer.

Anna squealed happily and Icicle dug his claws back through Elsa's ice dress.

"Anna!"

"Sorry!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_Plot things start to happen in this chapter, yes. This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

Elsa grumbled, letting out a frustrated breath. The blonde queen leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead. _This is harder than I thought_. On her desk rested a mess of ice shards and a dusting of snow. The far left corner, closest to the door to her study, was occupied by her grey cat, Icicle, whose curled form was also lightly coated in flecks of white.

Icicle lifted his head, mewling pathetically at his sorceress owner. His uneven whiskers twitched in annoyance.

"I know you're cold and I'm sorry," Elsa said, letting herself pretend he could understand. "Apparently making a tag for your collar is much more difficult than building an entire palace or living snowmen or even Olaf's flurry. Who knew?" The queen shrugged, fighting a smile as her cat huffed and hide his face in his paws.

"Elsa?" Anna pushed the door open and leaned around the frame.

The blonde looked over and grinned. The sight of her sister always brightened her day. Waving the redhead in, she asked, "How's my favorite snowflake this afternoon?"

Anna felt her face go pink at the queen's greeting. "I'm fine, Els. Spent the morning goofing off with Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven," the younger said, smiling. "You know, the usual." Walking over to the desk, she reached a tentative hand out to Icicle, thinking better of it when the cat growled, keeping his face hidden from both women. "What's up with your desk?" Anna redirected her hand with a small wave toward the snow and ice.

Elsa groaned, slouching in her chair and splaying her fingers against the rime. "I'm experimenting, but it's not going well. I wanted to make the tag for Icicle's collar with my powers. A little disk, simple, with his name surrounded by a snowflake design, but it seems doing something on such a small scale isn't my forte. I've been trying for _days_." Elsa leaned her head on one hand, flicking bits of ice off her desk. _Never mind that I've been obsessing over it as an excuse to hide away in here half the day_, she added silently.

Anna frowned and tapped her chin, crossing the room to sit in the armchair near the fireplace. "Huh, that's strange. You'd think smaller would be easier." The princess sent a sympathetic glance at Elsa, who grunted in frustration.

"I _did _think so, but clearly not," the queen replied huffily.

The room was quiet for a few minutes as Elsa stewed over her failure. The queen was slowly adjusting to life with the gates open, but it was so hard to be around people _all the time _after so many years alone. The only people, loosely defined, that she could stand were Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, Marshmallow, Icicle, and _of course _Anna. Even Kai and Gerda, servants she'd known all her life, grated on her nerves easily. Elsa rolled her eyes as Icicle flicked his tail, scattering snowflakes. _This isn't working at all, nor is it the distraction I'd hoped for_.Elsa looked over at Anna, seeing the younger woman staring in her direction, face pensive.

"You okay over there _feisty pants_?" The queen asked, unable to resist teasing the younger woman as a means to ease her temper.

Anna snorted. "That's only okay when Kristoff says it. And yes, I'm fine, _your majesty_," the princess returned, knowing her sister hated the formal address from her or their Royal Ice Master, even in official court settings.

Predictably, the queen frowned. "Stop that."

"Oh, hush. I have an idea," Anna grinned, leaning over the arm of her chair toward the blonde.

Elsa found herself momentarily sidetracked by the low cut of the redhead's dress, and blinked repeatedly, hoping to reorient herself. _Growing up away from everyone may have messed with my head more than I realized_.

"What's your idea?" She asked, clearing her throat loudly.

Anna quirked a brow, but let the dazed look on Elsa's face, and sudden awkwardness, pass without comment. "Why not try making it, the tag I mean," the princess leaned back in her chair again, gesturing as she spoke, "big to start with? Maybe see if you can shrink it, instead of just starting with the size you want." The younger shrugged, consciously keeping her mannerisms contained as Icicle eyed her warily from his spot on Elsa's desk. "Since a larger scale is easier, you know…?" She trailed off, feeling a blush creep back up her neck as Elsa sat in silence, her eyes lost again in some middle distance.

"That's a fantastic idea, Anna!" Elsa's face split into a grin and she waved an impatient hand when Icicle hissed at her for speaking so loudly. Standing from her desk, the queen picked up him up and held him at arm's length. "I'm making you a special, wonderful collar so the whole kingdom knows how much I love you, Icicle. You can put up with a _little_ noise. Honestly."

Icicle and Elsa stared each other down, with Anna giggling from her place by the fireside, until the cat relented, reaching one paw out to swat at the queen's nose.

"Good boy," the sorceress chuckled, setting him back on the desk and gesturing to Anna. "Come out, let's go down to the ballroom and test out your theory."


	5. Chapter 5

_Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_Icicle starts to meddle, hehe. This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

Anna's theory had proven useful, and after several more days of effort, Elsa felt satisfied with her work. Icicle had taken to his collar immediately. He pranced about the castle with a woven cord of teal and purple, the colors of Arendelle's royalty, fit neatly around his neck. The ice tag made a tinkling sound, like a wind chime made of real ice perhaps would, with his every step.

The queen had just grown used to his silent companionship, but found she could not begrudge him his newly-found confidence. Now, when Elsa left her chambers for the day, Icicle followed at her heels, and split off in some random direction to explore and bother the staff. When the blonde returned at the end of her evening, she always found the grey cat, slightly larger now that he was well fed on a daily basis, lounging on her bed.

Tonight was no different, and when Elsa closed the door to her bedroom, she turned to find Icicle staring almost expectantly at her. "What is it, cat?"

Icicle tilted his head, the movement accompanied by a tiny crystal sound as his tag shifted, and he continued to stare at his master.

Elsa rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her bangs, loosening her braid. "You've been giving me the same look all week, Icicle, but I haven't a clue what you want." The queen sat down heavily, exhausted from her day of trade reviews and dealings with the petulant nobles' court.

The grey cat flopped onto his back, paws swinging wildly for a moment, before he sat up and looked at Elsa again, his green eyes narrowing just the slightest bit.

The queen tilted her own head in reply, curious at Icicle's uncharacteristically expressive behavior. After a moment, his _impression_ clicked. "Anna. You're… you were imitating her."

Icicle growled quietly, uneven whiskers twitching.

Elsa was stunned. _This cat is much more intelligent than I thought. How strange._ "I still don't understand, but I suppose that _look_ you keep giving me has something to do with Anna, yes?"

The royal cat padded closer, reaching one paw up to bat at the queen's nose.

"I doubt it would do either of us much good if I asked you to explain. Since we don't speak the same language," Elsa wanted to sound sarcastic as she let it sink in that the feline was actually, actively, trying to communicate with her, but her words simply fell flat. It had been a long week.

_A long week of unnecessarily complicated paperwork, snobbish gentry jostling for my attention, and very little time with Anna_.

"I won't believe that you miss her, Icicle," Elsa tried again, wondering if the young cat had noticed the princess' absence. The blonde couldn't fathom what her sister had been up to that week, mischief no doubt, but the queen had honestly been too busy to gallivant with Olaf, Kristoff and the moose – or to take breaks long enough to accommodate being social with the redhead.

Icicle reached his paw up again and pressed it to Elsa's cheek. Green eyes held blue for long moments, as Elsa's tired brain worked to piece together the cat's purpose. When Elsa only sighed and shrugged her shoulders, Icicle ran a paw over his face repeatedly before looking pointedly at the sorceress again.

Unconsciously, Elsa lifted a hand to her face and the tip of one finger brushed under her eye, feeling the effects of too little sleep gathering into purple shadows.

Icicle mewled, catching the queen's attention again.

"Do you think I've overdone it this week? Spent too much time working and not enough time with Anna? She… she does always make me feel better." Elsa's voice barely carried across the room. _How can a cat be so perceptive of human interactions? Are all cats this way and we just don't take the time to notice?_

The light, happy chime of Icicle's tag sounded again as the cat braced his paws on Elsa's hunched shoulders and rubbed his face against hers, purring as if in confirmation of her words.

The queen smiled, "You help, too, little one." She wrapped Icicle in a brief hug and gave him a quick scratch under his chin. "Would you like to come with me to find her?"

At this, Icicle's purr became a growl again. His ears twitched a few times and he retreated from Elsa, curling into a ball and hiding his face under both his front paws.

"I'll take that as a no," Elsa held back a laugh. She reached out and ran her hand gently over Icicle's back a few times. "Thank you for being so attentive to what makes me happy, boy. You're a good cat and a boon to my health." Though spoken playfully, Elsa found that she truly meant it.

Icicle resumed purring even as Elsa stood and left the room. _He_ may not like the loud girl, but his master certainly did. _He_ was just being helpful.


	6. Chapter 6

_Summary: In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_Thank you all for the follows and favorites. Please don't hesitate to drop a review as well - I love feedback and I am actively accepting prompts/suggestions for further chapters. Also, there is a side-fic in the Cat & Queen 'verse that I'll start putting up on the site in a few days. Basically it's Anna writing in her journal and it offers some perspective/expands on this version of post-movie Arendelle that I'm creating. I hope you'll all get some feels from it._

_Obligatory warning:This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

* * *

Elsa leaned back in her chair and glanced out the window of her private study. It was fully dark now, just as it had been the last three times she'd checked. Distantly, a clock chimed. _Midnight. Where could Anna be? Perhaps she didn't get my note after all._ The blonde sorceress rubbed her eyes, unsure when her last full night of sleep had been. The nobles' court had only become more time consuming, and more banal, in the last several weeks as summer faded into autumn. Arendelle was now chilled at night and at dawn without any help from her.

The queen was at a loss. There were only so many frivolous demands – which she suspected were only a means to eat up her time because a good share of the gentry were unhappy with a woman running the country – that Elsa could deal with in any given day. The elder had hoped her little sister would be up to the task of sharing her royal burden, but finding the redhead as of late was rather problematic. Elsa would search the castle, finding her sister in the portrait room, or the kitchens, or the stables, or the gardens, or the grand ballroom, rarely in the princess' room, and even (once or twice) in Elsa's own chambers.

Icicle huffed from his customary corner of Elsa's desk. The grey cat stretched lazily, catching his master's eyes. He was giving her 'the Anna look' again.

"I know, Icicle, I know," Elsa began, flicking her fingers (and some fine snowflakes) at the well meaning feline. "What I don't know is where else to look. I never find Anna in the same place twice in one week. Honestly, sometimes I fear she's avoiding me, but I cannot fathom why that would be the case."

Icicle rolls his eyes, if a cat could, but Elsa kept on, unaware.

"I've already checked all her normal haunts this week. And it's only Wednesday! _Where could she be?_" Elsa stood, slamming her hands against the desk, ignoring Icicle as he hissed and jumped in place. "I'm going to go look again. She really ought to be in bed by now." Elsa looked over at Icicle. The queen now accepted that the cat could understand her, even if she wasn't entirely sure how.

For his part, Icicle just leveled his green eyes at the queen and, for once, his intention was rather clear: _you should be in bed too_.

Elsa sighed, giving him a small smile, "You're right, as usual, but I won't be able to sleep until I talk to Anna."

Icicle huffed again and jumped down from the desk, leading the way out of Elsa's study. The loud girl _must_ be found if his master was to get any sleep.

Elsa herself was barely out the door when she crashed bodily right into the person she was so intent to find.

"Elsa!" Anna grabbed her sister's waist, keeping them both from falling.

"Anna, ow, there you are," the blonde managed, instinctively resting her hands on the younger woman's shoulders.

"Here I am. Were you looking for me again?" The princess' voice was strained and her eyes darted around the hallway, looking everywhere but at the queen as the two royals remained in their accidental embrace. Anna's hands twitched as she fought not to rip them away from the unexpected warmth she felt even through Elsa's dress. _Don't be obvious about it, dummie, or she'll suspect something_. _She hasn't moved away yet either – be normal for once_.

The blonde's eyes narrowed, "Yes, I'd left a note for you with Gerda, but I doubt you received it." Irritation bled into Elsa's voice. Anna _was_ acting oddly, she was sure of it now as the princess visibly gulped and a guilty blush crept up her neck.

_Gods, how is Elsa so warm? She totally knows I'm avoiding her. Shit, what do I say?_

"Anna?" Elsa shifted one hand from her sister's shoulder to cup a flushed cheek. "Is everything alright?"

Closing her eyes briefly, Anna nodded against Elsa's hand. "Yeah, I just," the princess forced a bitter sounding laugh, "it's so stupid, Els. Honestly."

"Tell me anyway."

Anna bit her lip, looking away again and noticing Icicle sitting at Elsa's feet, glaring up at her. Anna glared back for just a moment before schooling her features back into a smile, but her big sister noticed. _Oh course she noticed_ _because she's Elsa._

Elsa turned a bit, her hand falling back to Anna's shoulder as the queen followed her princess' gaze. She looked back at the blushing redhead, one eyebrow raised. "Okay, I know you and Icicle aren't the best of friends, but I feel like there's more than that going on here. I'd much rather you explained it to me, since _he_ can only meow at me and pantomime."

Looking defeated, Anna bit harder on her lip before mumbling a reply.

The blonde leaned closer, ignoring the quiet voice in the back of her head that wondered if it was wholly necessary that she and Anna were still holding on to one another in the middle of a dim hallway when most everyone else was surely asleep. "What was that?" She smiled gently at the girl, now bright red, and waited patiently for her to speak again.

_Why does she have to be so beautiful? Our lives have been complicated enough. Why can't I just be normal? Just a little bit?_ Anna unconsciously leaned back a few inches, desperate for space but unwilling to fully step away. "I'm jealous of him."

"What?" Elsa started to reply, but Anna continued quickly, as if unable to stop the flood of words she'd begun.

"I'm jealous of a cat. I mean, honestly, who _does_ that? Me, apparently. I'm jealous that he gets to spend more time with you than I get to – and I know avoiding you is _super_ counterproductive, but he's almost always with you, and I hate his collar. I hate that it suits him so well, and that you made the tag for him, and that everybody sees it and knows he belongs to you and that you love him _so much_ and I know it's really stupid, _especially _since the collar was _my idea_, but I'm jealous." Anna ducked her head, wishing she could banish the tears welling in her eyes. _That's just the tip of the iceberg, but you don't need to know that yet. Or ever._

Elsa stared openly at her sister for a short while as she struggled to comprehend the princess' rushed admission. "Oh, Anna," she said, finally, and pulled the shorter woman into a tight hug.

Anna buried her face in the queen's shoulder, feeling silly and embarrassed and slightly aroused and equally discomforted by that last piece of things.

"You goof, you know I love you best," Elsa spoke softly, letting her words fall into the princess's ear. The queen grinned, though she resisted acknowledging why, when she felt the younger shiver. Pulling back to look at Anna, Elsa's smile became tender. "You are my _favorite_ snowflake. How often do I have to tell you?"

_Every day. All day. Preferably naked. Oh gods, I'm such a perv._ Anna blushed again and broke eye contact, but the blonde's cool hand lifted her chin back up immediately.

"When did this start?"

"Right after you finished his collar," Anna mumbled, but she knew she'd been heard when Elsa's eyes widened.

"Anna that was over a month ago!"

"I know, _I know_, and it's so stupid, but I just – I want people to know I'm yours, too." Anna felt her neck go red at wording her _stupid_ brain chose, but plowed on, "You say I'm your favorite, and I believe you, I just wish people knew that. I want them to know I'm special to you."

Elsa blushed at the wording as well, but couldn't help an indulgent smile. She cupped Anna's cheek again and placed a quick kiss on the redhead's brow. "I can't very well commission _you_ a collar, Anna, but I'll make you something if you want that. I could have done it ages ago if you'd just _told_ me what was wrong." The blonde rolled her eyes, but was glad to finally know what had been bugging her sister.

_Oh, but I'd wear it. _"I know _that_, but maybe… a necklace?" Anna looked hopefully up at her queen.

"If you'd like, dear. I'll start on it in the morning," Elsa heard the same faraway clock chime the half hour and swore under her breath. "It's so late and I have three trade meetings first thing. Ugh, let's both get to bed, snowflake. I'll see you at breakfast?" The blonde kissed Anna's forehead again, absentmindedly, and when the princess nodded against her lingering lips, set out for her bedroom with Icicle at her heels.

Anna remained in the dimly lit hallway for a few minutes, turning to watch Elsa's hips sway and sagging back against the door to her sister's study in quiet agitation. _Okay, so Elsa swearing is hot. Fuck. This is getting out of control._


	7. Chapter 7

_**Summary:** In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_Continued thanks for the follows and favorites. Reviews are also appreciated! The Cat & Queen 'verse side-fic, Sleep Deprivation (Excuses), is now posted. Check that out if you're in the mood for Anna rambles._

_Obligatory warning:This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

* * *

"Elsa! Momma! Elsa!" Olaf's shouts jolted Elsa out of a stupor and drew her attention away from reviewing yet another needless nobleman's petition.

The sorceress queen was grateful for the interruption. She'd been halfheartedly reading through the latest request for a suitor's tournament. _Why can't I just rule with Anna's help?_ Elsa thought bitterly as the snowman managed the heavy study door and rushed in, cradling one stick arm in the other awkwardly. _Why does either of us require a man's help to think or make decisions?_

"What's wrong, Olaf?" Elsa leaned her elbows against the desk, bright blue eyes flicking between the pouting snowman and Icicle, who'd snuck in behind the animate snow-creature, and was sauntering toward them both.

"Icicle bit my finger off!" Olaf ran around the desk, shaking his prone arm and looking close to tears.

The blonde quickly turned her chair and took Olaf's arm in her hands, brows knitting together in frustration. It was nearly Solstice time and her normally withdrawn gray cat had, as of late, been causing more trouble than the queen cared to manage. And here was more mischief: the smallest part of Olaf's left twig-arm had indeed been snapped off, no doubt by the cat's sharp teeth.

Elsa sighed heavily, pulling Olaf into a hug. "I'm sorry, Olaf, we'll replace your arm." The queen glared over at Icicle as he hopped up into his customary spot on her desktop, "Again," she added in a sharp voice.

Unperturbed, Icicle stretched languidly and returned her glare.

Olaf sniffled and shuffled a step away from the desk and the cat atop it, breaking from Elsa's arms. "Why is he being so mean, Momma?"

Elsa managed not to roll her eyes. Marshmallow and Olaf were convinced that she was their mother, and while strange, the statement was not false. Anna and Kristoff had even taken to calling the snowmen Prince, despite the queen's repeatedly pleas against it. The nobles disliked her rule enough without the cannon fodder of snowmen as heirs to Arendelle.

"I don't know, son," she replied indulgently.

Icicle's ears twitched and Elsa was almost glad to see it. She actually had a hunch about the root cause of the cat's recent antics. _Anna avoids me when she's troubled. Icicle and Marshmallow act out_.

Looking back at Olaf, Elsa reflected that he was never cross and rarely angry. Olaf dealt with his emotions, good and bad, head on. Like Anna did, typically. Like Elsa strived to.

"Why don't you go find Anna and Kristoff? They'll take Sven out and find you a new arm, okay?" Elsa smiled softly, brushing a hand over what passed for hair on Olaf's brow. "I'll have a word with Icicle."

Olaf nodded and returned Elsa's smile weakly. "Okay, Momma." The snowman gave the desk a wide berth on his way to the door, but stopped as he passed the cat, whose green eyes narrowed as they followed the snowman's movement. "I wish you'd stop being mean to me, Icicle. You're Elsa's baby, too, so we're brothers. Brothers shouldn't be mean to each other."

Icicle growled, soft and low, and turned his head away.

Olaf grunted at the cat's dismissal and left the room in search of nicer playmates.

The silence left in the snowman's wake was tense. Elsa knew her life was odd, even for a monarch, but her hodgepodge family never ceased to make her days interesting. Olaf's uncomplicated view of the world was, at times, inadequate, for the world was nuanced and little was ever what it seemed. _On the other hand, there is wisdom in simplicity and true is true not matter how you dress it or seek to shadow it in lies_.

"It's unfair of you to take out all your jealousies on Olaf just because he's too nice to hold it against you for long," Elsa said, holding a hand out and gesturing Icicle closer.

The cat turned his face from her as he had from Olaf, but his growling ceased.

"Why can't my family just get along, hmm? Is that too much for a queen to ask of her princess sister and her princely sons?" Elsa found that she was smiling and she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed and one leg drawn up, a heel pressed against the worn wood of the seat.

Icicle's ears betrayed him again, twitching at the words _family_, _princely_, and _sons_. When Elsa chuckled, he knew his master had seen, and his uneven whiskers began twitching as well.

A plan began to form in the sorceress' mind. Elsa's smile grew into a smirk. "Here's an idea for you, _Prince Icicle_," she began, keeping her voice brusque. "How about we all go up to North Mountain to see your _brother_ Marshmallow? Hmm? Anna, Olaf, you, and me. You haven't met your other big brother yet, so really the visit is overdue. Kristoff and Sven will stay here," Elsa fought to keep the smile on her face from bleeding into her tone, silently amused at how Icicle's tail had begun flicking around behind him as she outlined the royal outing. "It'll just be our family: the queen, princess, and princes of Arendelle. How does that sound to you, boy?"

Icicle's green eyes found Elsa's blues and the cat looked sheepish, if a cat could. He mewled like he had that first night when Elsa had discovered him in her bedroom. He was no longer a kitten, though his once singed whiskers still gave the cat something of a comical look. Icicle put his head flat on the desk between his paws, looking imploringly at his master as if for forgiveness for chomping off Olaf's finger, and for tripping Anna into a suit of armor the day before, and for knocking down several heirlooms around the castle the week before that.

_My heirs_, Elsa thought, letting a fond smile spread across her cheeks. _A snowman who loves summer, an ice golem who wears a tiara, and a troublesome cat with more wit than half my royal advisors_.

"I'm glad you like the idea, Icicle, now go find Olaf and apologize to him," Elsa ignored Icicle's pitiful mews now, knowing them for crocodile tears. "Go, Icicle, and bring Anna back with you. _Without_ harm, if you please." The queen stood from her desk and crossed the room, holding open the study door and sending the cat a sharply pointed look.

Still murmuring his discontent, Icicle slunk out of the room and bounded off down the hall to do as his master bid him.

Elsa watched him go, shaking her head at the wonders of her life. _What dull lives other royals must lead without magic_. There had been a time that Elsa wished for her powers to fade away, yes, but now she was grateful for all they had brought her. Olaf and Marshmallow, certainly, but Elsa and Anna would both be so different if they had not grown up separated, if Elsa had not struggled to master her magic, if a craven prince had not plotted against her at her own coronation, if – if a lot of things. Instead, Elsa felt closer now to her precious sister than she'd ever thought possible, and perhaps everything happened for a reason.

The queen returned to her desk, sifting through the pile of petitions for one worth her time, and waited patiently for Icicle to return with Anna. They had a family outing to plan. _And I've a gift to give soon_, Elsa thought, her mind turning to the necklace stored in a hidden drawer of her desk. With the holiday so close, she'd put off her sister's inquiries as to when her ice pendant would be ready. _Soon, sweet Anna, soon_.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Summary:** In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_Updates might slow down a bit more over the next few weeks. Prompts may help the posting timeline. Yes I am soliciting prompts. That is exactly what I am doing._

_Obligatory warning:This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

* * *

Elsa grinned as they crested the last rise; the mountains spread out before them, snowcaps twinkling silver in the morning sun. It was a brilliantly clear winter day, but the queen suspected she was enjoying the crisp air much more than Anna or Icicle. Tightening her arms around the shivering redhead, Elsa nudged their horse into a slightly faster pace. Curled under blankets and a specially crafted fur coat, Icicle wheezed softly, his breath fogging in the air as the princess held him close. As the horse pushed closer to the mountainside palace just now coming into view, the gray cat hissed and wheezed, begrudgingly nuzzling closer to Anna's warmth.

Anna's face was oddly blank, if pink, as her sister guided their mount toward the towering ice structure. Olaf whooped from his position on a small hitched sled behind them.

"Marshmallow!" Olaf called as they trotted within the golem's hearing range. "We're here, Marshmallow!"

Elsa's smile grew the doors to the palace opened soundlessly and her second living snowman ambled into view. Her discarded crown caught the sun, sending a dazzle of colors dancing across the doorway. Pulling their horse slowly to a halt, the queen rested a hand on Anna's hip for a moment as she prepared to dismount. She paused when Anna stiffened at the contact, even through the princess' sturdy winter coat.

Leaning forward, Elsa spoke into her sister's ear, "Are you okay, dear?"

Anna's breath caught for a moment, but she nodded shakily anyway, daring to glance back at Elsa. "Yes, I'm just cold. Let's get inside out of the wind before Icicle turns into a real one." She hefted the cat, who glared up at his master and growled.

Elsa nearly snorted with laughter, "You both agreed to this. Perhaps you'd forgotten, Anna, was Arendelle's winters are like when I don't cause them." The blonde shook her head at the shocked face her joke received, giggling as she slid to the snowy ground. "Come on," she urged with a smile, holding her hands out to help Anna down as well. "Hand him to me first."

Anna did just that, passing the now squirming feline to Elsa, who quickly placed him on Olaf's sled while the snowman bounced excitedly, pointing to where Marshmallow still stood at the palace entrance.

"Come on, come on, _come on_!" Olaf started to run towards the ice golem and turned back a few paces toward Icicle and the royal sisters, before spinning on one foot in his excitement.

Anna felt her own excitement battle back against just how _cold_ she was as she all but fell off the saddle into Elsa's waiting arms. All thought of Olaf, Marshmallow, and Icicle immediately fled as she stumbled and Elsa steadier her by pulling the younger woman closer. Very close, as it happened.

Elsa felt Anna tense again, but it barely registered as odd since her own body was suddenly stiff with nerves as the redhead gained her feet. They stayed like that for a long moment, eyes locked, and Elsa felt a blush rise in her own cheeks as Anna's breath steamed into the air and across Elsa's lips. _When did Anna become so beautiful?_ She thought, her mind scrambling to make sense of just how _good_ it felt to hold the princess in her arms.

Marshmallow's deep voice startled Elsa's attention away from her sister, and her arms dropped quickly to her sides as Anna stepped away. "Momma!" We waved his arms with a wide smile that softened his rugged features into something almost docile.

Anna snorted. "I love when they call you that," she laughed, grinning at the queen.

Elsa rolled her eyes, cheeks still ablaze, and checked their horse quickly to make sure the animal would be fine until they returned, then grabbed Anna's hand to lead her up into the ice palace.

Olaf ran ahead of them with a terrified Icicle in his arms. "Hey Marshmallow, meet Icicle! He's a cat and he's our brother. Have you ever seen a cat before?" Olaf waddled up the stairs as quickly as he could while Icicle yowled, eyes blown with fear.

Noticing the cat's distress, Elsa called out, "Hold on, let me take Icicle. You don't want to drop him, Olaf. He won't like that at all." Squeezing Anna's hand, Elsa dropped it and jogged up the stairs two at a time until she could rescue her cat from his eldest brother.

"I wouldn't have dropped him," Olaf grumbled, momentarily distracted from his standard happiness, but he surrendered the cat without further complaint.

"I know would never have on purpose, Olaf, but if you'd tripped by accident you both still could get hurt," Elsa smiled to take any sting out of her words. "These steps _can_ be slippery, even for us," she added with a wink.

Olaf winked back, smiling again. He would never slip and neither would Elsa. It went against their nature.

Anna caught up shortly and they walked at a safer pace up the rest of the intricately carved staircase. The princess hiked her skirts up higher, placing her feet carefully as she walked a step behind the blonde. "Why'd you get to wear breeches and a riding coat for this trip and I got stuck in a bulky dress?" She asked, huffing slightly as they stepped off onto the ridge Elsa had run to following the reveal of her powers months before.

Elsa adjusted Icicle in her arms, ignoring his dramatic shivers now, "You need the extra layers and I don't. If you were wearing what I'm wearing, you'd be half dead from the cold." Elsa's eyes darkened slightly, but her tone spoke more of current concern for Anna's health than of falling back into unpleasant memories.

"Yeah, that's true. Still, this getup is heavy," Anna shook her skirts out, letting them drop as Marshmallow shuffled down the few steps leading up in the palace itself to greet them. The princess placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder briefly, smiling at her big sister to make sure the older woman was still in a good mood.

"We both still spend too much time worrying about each other," Elsa noted, reading the meaning in Anna's gesture easily, and the blonde pressed a quick kiss to her princess' cheek without a second thought. They were affectionate now. Everything was normal. As normal as visiting one of her snow-sons to introduce him to her cat, whom her other snow-son thought of as his baby brother _could_ be, anyway.

Icicle watched Anna blush even as Elsa turned away and Olaf's chatter filled the air. Icicle watched the princess's face carefully as Anna brushed a gloved hand near where the sorceress' lips had just been while Elsa held the well-bundled cat up to say hello to the towering blue creature they'd come to visit. Icicle watched as the redhead met his gaze, and watched just a second more as so many questions skittered and crashed behind her blue-green eyes.

Marshmallow reached one clawed hand out and very gently patted Icicle on the head, "Hello furry brother."

Icicle finally focused on the golem and sniffed questioningly in his direction. He bat a paw at Marshmallow's fingers, suddenly curious.

The golem's face cracked wide in a smile and he gave Elsa his best pleading stare, "Can hold him, Momma? Please? Want hold furry brother." He kept his hands out expectantly while Elsa glanced first at Olaf, who was nodding vigorously, and then at Icicle.

"What do you think?" She asked, head tilting to one side as she addressed the still shivering cat.

Icicle's eyes widened again and his legs kicked aimlessly as he swung his head around to look at Marshmallow again, reaching for him and meowing loudly.

Elsa grinned, glancing back at the sound of Anna's quiet laughter, and let Marshmallow cradle Icicle in both hands. "Be careful, boys. Olaf, Marshmallow, why don't you show Icicle around? Anna and I will be along in a few minutes." The queen made a shooing motion with her hands, which were covered by plain blue gloves not unlike the kind she used to wear before _everything_.

"Yay! Let's go! Come on!" Olaf led the way further into the palace, immediately launching into a detailed explanation of every nook and shadow of the ice palace as Marshmallow followed and Icicle experimentally licked one of the golem's clawed fingers, mewling unhappily when his tongue almost stuck to the ice creature.

Anna stepped up next to the older royal as Olaf's voice grew faint with distance. "Elsa?"

The queen turned, grinning down at her sister. _She looks like all that fur trim is going to swallow her face_. Elsa bit her lip to keep from laughing at the thought, eyebrows knitting together as Anna's eyes flickered downward. _What's that about?_

"E – Elsa?" Anna tried again, forcing herself to look away from the blonde's pale, unpainted lips.

After a moment, the blonde put her confusion aside and reached into one pocket of the long coat Anna had insisted she wear for the trip. Watching her princess' face closely, Elsa held out a small, thin wooden box. The rich wood was gilded in swirling wisps of gold, with a simple latch on one side.

Elsa reached out and grasped Anna's hand, bringing it up and placing the square box in the redhead's palm. "I held off on giving this to you because I wanted it to be your Solstice present. We're only a few days away now, so here you go. Open it," Elsa urged, ducking her head a bit to better see her sister's reaction.

"The _box_ is beautiful," Anna breathed. Her teal eyes shot up to meet Elsa's blues, wide with excitement and anticipation. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes," the queen nodded happily.

Anna squealed and reverently opened her gift, gasping and nearly dropping the box as one hand instinctively went to cover her mouth. "Oh, crap!"

Elsa quickly put her hands under Anna's other one, steadying it and giggling as the princess went scarlet.

"Sorry," Anna murmured, dumbstruck by the necklace the box held. A glittering snowflake, slightly larger around than a plump cherry, rested on a bed of pale blue velvet. Each individual facet of the ice had been cut with the utmost care and Elsa's craftsmanship would have made the finest jeweler green with envy. A fine silver chain was coiled under the pendant. "Elsa, this… this is amazing. _Thank you_."

The princess was awestruck, overwhelmed, and when Elsa lifted the necklace out, slipping the empty box back into her coat and gesturing for Anna to turn around, she couldn't remember ever feeling happier than in that moment. Lifting her braids out of the way, Anna struggled to keep her breathing even as Elsa stepped closer and draped the chain around her neck, clasping the necklace in place.

"I'm glad you like it, dear," the queen's soft voice matched the gentle, loving look in her eyes as Anna turned back to face her. Elsa reached out again and shifted the fur lining of Anna's heavy cloak and dress so the pendant could rest against her sister's skin.

Anna could barely breathe at all now, as Elsa's gloved hand lingered near her collarbone. "I love it," she managed to whisper. The pendant brought just the slightest chill to her chest, but at that precise moment, with how her queen was gazing at her with such open affection, Anna was grateful for it.

Elsa smiled all the more, admiring how the necklace looked, silver and ice contrasting with her sister's flushed neck, and let her eyes wander up to admire Anna in general. Unconsciously, her hand followed and slid up to lightly grip the back of the princess' head. "As I keep telling you," she began, pulling Anna closer and resting their foreheads together, her voice dropping, "you are my favorite snowflake." Smirking playfully, Elsa placed a light kiss on the blushing redhead's nose and pulled her in for a hug. "Maybe now you won't keep forgetting."

Anna couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or cry. Happiness, fear, embarrassment, love, and so many other emotions warred within her as she enthusiastically returned the blonde's embrace. Affection won out, and the princess shifted her head just the slightest bit, letting her lips brush Elsa's neck.

Shivering at the contact and wishing suddenly that she could claim to be cold if Anna questioned why, Elsa squeezed the younger woman tighter for a moment. Pulling back, Elsa took the princess' hand again. "Let's go find the boys before they break something."

A crash sounded from a higher floor of the ice palace as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Elsa sighed, but a smile wasn't far from her lips as Anna began to giggle. _My family_, she thought, equally amused and exasperated.

"Else," Anna said, still laughing.

"Yes?"

Anna laughed harder, "No, _else_, before they break something _else_."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Summary:** In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_Updates might slow down a bit more over the next few weeks. Prompts may help the posting timeline. Yes I am soliciting prompts. That is exactly what I am doing._

_Obligatory warning:This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

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Elsa took a deep breath as she caught Kai's eyes across the ballroom. Royal banners, decorated with snowflakes at Anna's insistence, lined the walls and a small flurry danced in the air over their guests' heads. The goal had been a grand affair to awe Arendelle's neighbors with the beauty of Elsa's powers, but even now, with scores of people gaping happily at the magical display, the queen was unsure. Thirteen years of fear would not be undone overnight, but Elsa had to admit it _was_ nice to see the crowd was filled with excitement and reverence rather than mistrust.

Kai nodded to her across the room and smiled encouragingly.

_I can do this. It's a short speech. Barely a speech at all, in fact. Just a few words and I can blend into the background again. Or try to, at least._

The queen stepped forward on the raised dais at the far end of the hall and cleared her throat, waiting patiently while the murmurs died down. Glancing around, she smiled as Anna tripped her way over to rush up and stand beside the elder royal.

"Ready?" Anna whispered, grinning.

Elsa nodded, spreading her hands wide as she said to the assembled crowd, "Thank you all for joining us for this Solstice celebration. Now that dinner is finished, please enjoy a drink and help yourselves to some dessert. On behalf of Arendelle," Elsa glanced again at Anna, who just smiled back, "have a blessed holiday and a wonderful evening." She gestured to the band and music soon filled the air as the nobles and other visitors resumed their side conversations after some polite applause.

Smiling despite her lingering nervousness at speaking, even briefly, to so many people at once, Elsa turned to Anna again… except that the redheaded princess was no longer standing on the dais with her. The queen faltered without her younger, and much more outgoing, sister and hesitantly looked around the room, hoping for a glimpse of strawberry blonde curls. _Where'd you go, Anna?_

Before she had more than a few moments to fret, Elsa caught just such a glimpse, and watched curiously as the princess maneuvered her way back through the crowd, carefully avoiding the growing number of dancing pairs as the band played a medley of waltzes.

"Here you go, your majesty," Anna curtseyed politely, holding out a glass of wine to the blonde.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, but took the slim glass in one hand. "Thank you," she nodded slightly, but nothing more.

Anna paused, her own glass raised to pink lips already tinged with the remnants of some chocolate treat, and quirked an eyebrow in return. "Els? Come on, you told the guests to have a drink. Wouldn't it be rude if you didn't, too?" The princess lowered her glass a bit, stepping closer to Elsa so they could speak more easily over the music.

Elsa blinked. _Damn it all, she's right._ "Well, yes, but…." The queen trailed off, blushing.

Anna snorted, quickly holding a hand up to her face and surreptitiously looking to see if anyone had noticed the less than graceful noise, but no one really seemed to be paying all that much attention to the royal siblings. Giving her sister a playful smirk, Anna took a sip from her glass. "You're a lightweight, aren't you?"

"No, I am not," Elsa stubbornly shook her head and took a sip as well. "I'll just… work on this one for a while," her voice trailed away. "Slowly," she finished, mumbling.

The princess was giggling now, but still she tried to keep some composure should any of their guests decide to approach the dais. "It _would_ be embarrassing if you tripped over your dress or weaved drunkenly through the crowd, stumbling into the dancers." Anna smiled wickedly at her blushing queen, "I mean, _I_ could get away with being tipsy. _I'm_ the silly one." The princess' eyes twinkled mischievously, "Not you, though. Not _prim and proper Elsa_."

The blonde in question frowned at the sing-song way Anna spoke, "Oh, hush you, or I'll freeze your wine." Elsa huffed and took a larger swallow from her own glass, suddenly determined to prove Anna wrong. _Lightweight. I'll show her_.

Wine turned out to be as good a distraction from her nervousness as anything, but Elsa had to sigh at herself a scarce few hours later when stumbling into the remaining dancing pairs actually seemed like a distinct possibility should she stand from her throne and try to walk down among the thinning crowd. _Perhaps I've overdone it_, she thought with only a twinge of regret as her ice blue eyes scanned the unfamiliar faces for Anna or Kai, or even Kristoff. She'd seen the other blond just a moment ago, Elsa was sure of it. _Perhaps not, though. He hasn't been around as much lately. I should ask Anna about it._

Thinking of Anna seemed to summon the princess to her side. Elsa let her eyes wander as the younger woman settled herself into the smaller throne, their late mother's, beside where Elsa reigned from their father's seat. The thought of their parents distracted Elsa from admiring the way Anna's ice pendant caught the light where it rested just above the younger woman's breasts. _That_ was another thing Elsa should talk with Anna about. The queen and princess had yet to talk at any length about their parents and especially about the funeral Elsa's wild magic had prevented her from attending.

"Elsa? Are you okay?" Anna's voice broke Elsa from her thoughts. The princess nodded meaningfully at the arm of Elsa's chair.

Frowning at the ice spreading from under her hand, Elsa scrunched her nose in frustration. The ice retreated at her will, albeit more slowly than it normally would. The queen felt a headache beginning along the bridge of her nose and silently decided to blame the wine.

Anna's warm hand tugged at her arm and Elsa looked away from her own hand, which she had been flexing and clenching as she considered the effects of alcohol on her powers. The queen's gaze was momentarily halted again by Anna's necklace and the revealing cut of her dress. Her sister's words came floating back into her wine-addled mind. _I want people to know I'm yours, too._ There was something about how the words had been spoken, but then Elsa was exhausted and now she was tipsy, and the significance remained just beyond her grasp. _And looking at Anna is so much more enjoyable than thinking._ She didn't look up, in fact, until Anna cleared her throat meaningfully. When she did, Elsa found that the redhead's eyes were soft and her smile hinted at suppressed laughter.

"What?" Elsa tilted her head, feeling her braid slide off her shoulder to fall along her arm.

Now Anna _was_ giggling again, and Elsa was sure it was at her expense, somehow. "You're adorable," Anna managed, turning away as a pretty pink blush ran up her neck.

Elsa grinned, feeling inexplicably happy at the compliment, and leaned closer to her sister. "Am I?" She flexed her fingers again, sending puffs of swirling snowflakes into the air in front of them.

Anna bit her lip to stifle more laughter, but nodded all the same. "Yes," she said, voice low. Meeting Elsa's eye, she asked, "How much wine have you had?"

The queen frowned again, wondering at the question. After a few moments, she leaned back in her seat and shrugged, "Enough to relax." She turned to look at the stragglers of their grand party. "Everyone had a good time, I think," she said, falling back into her thoughts when Anna hummed agreeably. Elsa could feel her princess watching her and felt heat bloom in her own cheeks. "What?" She asked a second time, facing the other woman again.

Anna looked away, worrying her lip with her teeth. "Nothing," she mumbled.

Before Elsa could question her further, a crash distracted both of them. Elsa buried her face in her hands as Kai did his best to chase Icicle from the dessert tables set along one wall of the ballroom. The royal cat was a streak of grey, knocking over trays and yowling as chocolates and pastries tumbled to the floor.

"At least there's only a few people left," Anna sighed, standing and holding her hand out to the queen. When Elsa sent her a withering look, the princess shrugged, "Did you really think we'd get through tonight without the kids breaking something? Better Icicle than Olaf." Anna smiled wryly and grabbed her sister's hand, pulling the sorceress to her feet.

Elsa stumbled for a moment, but Anna was there to steady her. "I can't decide if I'm upset or amused that you sound so resigned to it," she groused, threading their fingers together and letting Anna guide her down from the thrones, off the dais, and over to a very flustered Kai.

The older man was leaning forward with his hands on his knees, potbelly heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He visibly relaxed as the queen and princess approached, stretching his back and motioning for them to take over the job of wrangling Icicle from his perch atop of three-tiered platter of fruit turnovers.

"Sorry, Kai," Elsa offered, smiling sheepishly at the man who was like a second father to her and Anna both.

Anna just rolled her eyes and gently pushed her sister forward, saying to Kai, "We've got this. Stand down, good sir."

Kai laughed, nodding his thanks to Anna as he happily abandoned the dessert tables altogether.

The princess watched him leave, crossing her arms as Elsa tried to calm Icicle.

The cat grumbled, half-growl and half-whine, as Elsa stepped up to the table and picked him out of the pastries. He bat at the queen's face and tried to lick her nose, but Elsa's disapproving look made him pout instead.

"No, Icicle. That's not going to work," Elsa shook her head, walking back to Anna as she held the cat in one arm, brushing frosting from his head with her free hand. "_Why on earth_ did you think it was a good idea to run on the tables?"

Icicle mewled, eyes wide, and he even turned to the redhead imploringly.

Anna held up her hands, "No sympathy here, Icicle. You wasted _chocolate_." The princess looked over at Elsa, suddenly very serious, "Can we ground him? He _at least_ needs a bath, but wasting chocolate deserves some punishment."

Elsa sighed as Icicle fidgeted in her arms, getting chocolate and gods' knew what else on her dress, "We'll think of something." The queen nodded toward the doors, "We should go. It's getting late anyway, but _Prince Icicle_ absolutely needs a bath. And this dress will need to be cleaned now."

The royal cat whined unhappily and began to clean himself frantically, as if to show how unnecessary a bath would be.

Anna hooked her arm into Elsa's, leaning into her sister's side as they made their way out of the ballroom, smiling as the few remaining guests bowed to them and apologizing for the mess. The princess yawned as they made their way up the central staircase. "I'll help you bathe him if you want, Els."

Smiling, Elsa squeezed her arm against Anna's, "I'd appreciate it. He likes water well enough, for a cat, but he _hates_ soap."

Both women laughed when Icicle hissed under his breath at the word.

"Sure," Anna yawned again, "but then can I just crash in your room tonight? The wine's made me sleepy now."

Elsa smiled and turned to press a kiss to her princess' temple, "Of course, dear."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Summary:** In which a cat adopts Elsa upon her return to the castle and, despite rather disliking "the loud girl," consistently puts his master's well being ahead of his own._

_This chapter gave me **so much **trouble. Blarg. There is mention of Tarot in this chapter, and though I didn't use the artwork in particular as reference, I feel like I should mention the _Deviant Moon Tarot _deck specifically, since that's what I use and what I used when I was trying to be creative about my writer's block issue. I was blocked repeatedly on this damn chapter. The idea of the suit of pentacles signifying milestones in life, in addition to or instead of material possessions, is my personal interpretation when I give readings. If anyone is unfamiliar with Tarot or confused by the descriptions, just PM me or hit me up on tumblr for info._

Obligatory_ warning:This is **absolutely Elsanna and Icest and Arencest and if you don't like that you should hit the back button**** now**_, okay bye, enjoy.

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After bathing Icicle, which was an ordeal even with the two of them, Anna retreated to her own room briefly to change into dry bedclothes. The younger royal insisted on returning to Elsa's chambers, despite the late hour and the fact that both women were dead on their feet. Elsa argued half-heartedly, but if she was honest with herself, she wanted Anna with her that night as much as the redhead appeared to want to be beside her queen. _The party was a success, my cat is clean, and it's so late, but having Anna here will make the night complete,_ Elsa thought, suppressing a yawn as her sister backed into the room, kicking the door shut.

Anna's arms were full of worn stuffed animals, extra blankets, and a small red pouch. When the blonde relaxing on the bed sent her a questioning look, Anna shrugged and dumped the pile unceremoniously on the floor, looking over from the foot of the four-poster. "I brought a few old friends to cuddle with us, and with Icicle, so he won't be put out that I'm stealing you for the night," the princess grinned, "and I brought extra blankets because your room is freezing _and_ I brought my Tarot deck."

She began to fidget, still standing next to the bed in a light blue robe she'd taken from Elsa a few weeks before and a simple night shift that rested such that her collarbone and shoulders were exposed, "I mean, I think they're… entertaining, I don't know if you do. I know the Church frowns on that kind of stuff, but I like them and I thought it would be fun for me to read your cards. I don't know, it feels festive and spooky like the Solstice, so I just thought…." She trailed off, hands twisting in front of her, biting her lip and failing to meet her sister's affectionate gaze.

Elsa resisted the urge to roll her eyes, it would only bring back her headache as wine still swirled heavily in her stomach, and instead shifted and rolled off the far side of the bed with a small laugh. "That sounds fine, Anna dear, let's get the extra blankets on and get warm." She looked up and felt her smile grow until her cheeks began to hurt instead of her head. Anna was blushing, though she wasn't sure why, but the lingering effects of the evening's wine made it difficult to over think everything for once. "Anna?" The queen questioned simply, shrugging when the other woman shook her head and reached for the blankets without a word.

Once Anna was satisfied that all of the blankets and stuffed animals were set to right, which of course meant they were scattered about on top of the mound of duvets and comforters, creating an obstacle course for Icicle, who wandered the bed sniffing each unfamiliar plush in turn, both women settled in under the covers, sitting up against numerous pillows and leaning against one another. "Okay," Anna said, tossing her outer robe on the floor carelessly and adjusting her necklace, sounding a bit too tired to be starting any sort of activity, "ready?"

Tilting her head toward the younger royal, Elsa nodded and reached out absentmindedly, taking Anna's left hand in her right one, lacing their fingers together and shuffling down a bit so she could rest her head on her sister's shoulder. "How does it work?" Elsa asked, trying not to yawn. The bed was nicely warm with Anna there and Elsa was not entirely sure she would last through the reading.

The princess might have shivered then, but Elsa must have been imagining it for there was no reason, and cleared her throat. "Well, it's late and we're both sleepy, so I'll just do a short one. Um, let's see," Anna was silent for a few seconds, brow furrowed. "Okay, yeah. There's a five card spread I can do for you. Let me just get the cards ready, then you'll shuffle them a few times, and then we'll get started. Okay, Els?" Anna turned her head, pressing a light kiss to Elsa's hair.

Feeling the slight contact, Elsa hummed happily, nodding with her cheek against Anna's bare shoulder. "Whatever you say, snowflake."

It seemed to Elsa that Anna's hands were shaking as she began to shuffle the cards, sorting them into piles without any apparent order; simply mixing them about so neither woman knew which card was where. _If I didn't know better, I'd say she's nervous, but that can't be. Why would Anna be nervous?_ Elsa couldn't think of a reason. Not when cuddling up in bed with her sister left her feeling so very warm and so content. Icicle had even settled down, clean and dry, and Elsa could hear him purring from his spot amid the pillows.

After a few minutes, when Elsa was nearly asleep against her freckled shoulder, Anna handed the cards over, softly explaining that all she needed to do was shuffle them a few times more. "You don't need to think of anything in particular. You can if you want, but for this reading it's kind of unnecessary, the spread is simple enough."

Anna continued to explain while Elsa sat up and followed her instructions. "The first card I pull should represent how you see yourself," the princess said quietly, a calm settling over the room, "and the second how others see you. The third shows what you want, or what you want to be, or both. The fourth tells us something you're working toward, something in progress, like a goal of yours… and the last card helps you understand what, if anything, is holding you back from achieving what you want."

Elsa blinked and looked back at Anna as she returned the cards, "That's rather useful knowledge. I thought these," she gestured to the cards as the redhead was lining up face down on the blankets, across their laps, "were just fool's work and trumped up sleight of hand."

Anna smiled wryly, "I thought so, too, when I started using them a few years ago. I never thought they were actually magic, but… over time I've found they're not a bad tool for puzzling things out when there's a lot on your mind." Now her smile turned self-deprecating, "And you know how crazy my mind can get," Anna winked, smiling more genuinely when Elsa giggled. "Ready?"

Elsa nodded, still feeling sleepy and tipsy, but watching with interest as Anna flipped the first card: a woman crouched next to a building, a church perhaps, with a stained glass window showing five disks with stars in them.

"This is the five of pentacles, which means it has something to do with money, or material possessions, or milestones in life," Anna began, her voice taking on a slightly deeper register Elsa was not familiar with, though the queen certainly did not find it unpleasant to see her sister so unconsciously confident about something. "All of the pentacles mean that, but the five in particular means that you see yourself as lost, searching, and you expect to be received with negativity." Anna sighed, glancing up from the card as Elsa. "You still think people look at you and see a monster," Anna frowned deeply, her voice rising to its normal pitch as concern flooded her tone.

Elsa looked away, down at the remaining cards, "Flip the next one please," she said, barely above a whisper, now fully engaged in the reading, though trepidation crept up her spine at the accuracy of that first card. _Could just be Anna trying to be helpful._

Anna huffed, but did as she asked, revealing a second card of the spread: it showed a man of wealth and status, richly dressed, holding another disk with the words _King of Pentacles_ scrawled under him. Now Anna snorted, looking triumphant, "That's better. The king of pentacles represents a leader skilled in figures and other practical matters. A leader people respect and look to for protection," looking up, the redhead grinned, "this means that on some level you know that _this_," she pointed to the card, "is what our people truly think of you. _Not_ that you're a monster."

Queen Elsa straightened her shoulders, looking between the two cards and then back at Anna, gesturing for her to continue. She made no comment, but Anna seemed fine with that. Elsa noticed that the princess' hands no longer shook, if they ever had.

"The third card, and like I said this can mean a few different things so it gets tricky to interpret sometimes, is… the queen of wands. Hmm." Anna scratched her head, looking thoughtful.

This card had a beautiful woman on it, set in a forest, with deep greens and browns all around her, and even her gown was shades of green. Elsa picked it up, examining the artwork more closely, as she waited for Anna to explain the card's meaning to her.

"The suit of wands represents thoughts and dreams. The queen champions sincerity and confidence," Anna said, her voice dropping again. "She represents a self-assured woman, someone everyone knows and likes, someone warm people feel comfortable trusting. Since this is the suits of wands, this could mean that that's the kind of queen you want to be, or –" The princess stopped short, blushing again and looking away.

Elsa had been intent on the cards again, impressed by the subtle details in the artwork, but she returned the card to its place now and looked back at her sister, who looked to be struggling with whether or not say something, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly. "What is it?"

Anna closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath, and spoke again with visible effort, "She could also represent those qualities in someone else, in another woman, someone you admire or, or want close to you."

The blonde did not respond immediately, mulling over the explanation. _There is something more to that, something Anna isn't saying. I wonder what, and why? Damn that blasted wine. Anna isn't normally so difficult to read._ Taking a breath as well, Elsa nodded, "Perhaps both? I do want to be that sort of queen, but," now Elsa felt herself smiling again, "it could also be you." _Did she gasp? Is Anna still so unused to me complimenting her? _"You are assertive where I am hesitant. You are warm where I am… distant, let's say. Our people respect me, and they are coming to respect my powers as a skill rather than a danger, but they already love you fully. There's nothing in you not to love, Anna." Elsa took the younger woman's hands in her own again, squeezing them and leaning forward to catch the blushing redhead's eyes.

Anna did meet her gaze, and the blush deepened. "Thank you, Elsa." She pulled her hands free and turned the fourth card over, and Elsa let her, even if she was unsure what exactly had just transpired. "Now that's interesting. This is the five of cups. The suit of cups is all about love. Not just romantic, _true love_ kind of love, but all sorts. It's about the relationships that are important to us. The five shows a couple fighting over spilled wine," Anna gestured to the card, "but all they see are the spilled ones. There's still two that are full, see?"

Elsa did see and nodded. "What does that mean?" She smiled again, enjoying seeing this thoughtful, knowledgeable side of her sister. Anna was not usually so well-spoken, so calculated, but the reading had put her in a comfortable place where she was the authority. It was exciting, as well, and Elsa felt the wine turn in her stomach again, not unpleasantly.

"It offers a fuller picture. The fourth card in this spread, regardless of which one it is, always shows something you're working on, and when we're in the middle of something, we can lose perspective. The five of cups is perfect here, because that's exactly what it means. All relationships have ups and downs, but even when things seem bad, there's still a reason you're with that person," Anna's lingering blush might have darkened a shade, "and that's because that person is important to you. Love persists through troubles, if only we let it."

Silence filled the room, heavy with years of ignored pain and as of yet unaddressed questions. Elsa felt Anna take her hand and lean against her. They stayed like that for a while, with only Icicle's soft snores breaking the quiet. Elsa's mind wandered to their parent's funeral, among several other unhappy memories, and she felt tears threaten. Coughing to dispel the tightness in her throat, she rasped out, "Read the last one, dear."

Anna nodded and flipped the fifth card, a small wet noise escaping her. Her free hand quickly covered her mouth, but Elsa turned anyway, seeing the tears gathering on her sister's thick eyelashes.

Laughter chased her own tears away and Elsa pulled Anna into a tight hug, feeling the younger woman stiffen initially before gradually relaxing in her arms, crying and laughing equally. "Look at us, Anna. Sitting up in the middle of the night, half-drunk, or at least I am," Elsa pulled back and gave her sister a watery smile, "letting ourselves fall back into unhappiness over things we cannot change." She brushed her thumbs across the princess' cheeks, wiping the traces of sadness away. "What's the last card? Tell me and let's be done with it."

Anna tried to smile, but it did not quiet reach her blue-green eyes. "The ten of swords. Swords are about action, rather than thought like the wands. The ten cards generally represent a full cycle or some sort, but the ten of swords is one of the most negative cards in the deck." Anna turned her head to face the five cards, but stayed in Elsa's embrace, leaning more heavily into the blonde, whose hand began to rub her back lightly. With a sigh, Anna continued, "The ten of swords represents ruin. Destruction. Fear. _Fear, Elsa_. Fear is still your enemy. Fear… of the past, of the future, of yourself, maybe of not being able to set things right with the people of Arendelle… or with me."

Elsa hugged Anna closer, letting herself cry fully now as Anna hugged her back. "Thank you," she murmured, "for the reading. It may not all be positive, but it's definitely given me much to think on. Tomorrow. Not tonight," Elsa groaned, exaggerating the sound for Anna's benefit and smiling through her tears when the redhead's laugh shook them both.

"No more thinking tonight. Let's put the cards away and go to sleep," Anna moved to do just that and while Elsa was reluctant to lose the warmth of her body, she let the princess gather the cards and return them to the red pouch. Anna leaned across the bed, setting the pouch on the bedside table and blowing out the candles on her side.

Elsa turned and waved her left hand, conjuring a cool wisp of air that extinguished the candles on her side. Hearing Anna snort, Elsa turned back, one eyebrow raised. "What now?"

Anna shook her head, settling down under the blankets and muttering what sounded suspiciously like she was calling Elsa a show off, and smiled up at her sister. "Come on, come here. Time for bed." Anna held the blankets up with one arm, setting the other under some of the pillows.

Smiling back, Elsa cuddled close, thoughtlessly putting one arm around Anna's waist and pulling the younger woman flush against her, with Anna's nose bumping just under her chin. She heard Anna make an unidentifiable noise, but sleepily ignored it, pressing light kisses to her forehead and nose. Elsa suppressed a yawn as she shifted around, shuffling down so that she could press her face against Anna's neck, one arm curled between them and the other tangling in strawberry blonde hair. Elsa could hear her sister's heartbeat thumping under her ear.

Anna gulped, Elsa felt it, and exhaled slowly. The room was quiet, and dark, and warmer than Elsa ever remembered. The princess' hand, which had been clutching at Elsa's hip, slowly moved to the blonde's back, pressing their bodies even closer as Anna leaned back so Elsa was resting next to her.

Elsa barely had to move to press a kiss to Anna's collarbone, and felt herself drift away from sleep when the younger royal's breath hitched. "Anna?" She whispered, repeating the gentle action and eliciting the same reaction. _Isn't that interesting?_

"Yeah, Els?" Anna sounded flustered. _But why?_

Another kiss and Anna's heartbeat sounded erratically as Elsa felt each breathe the younger woman took beside her. She had the urge to smirk, though she could not have put the reason into words. Elsa moved her head and placed the next kiss under Anna's freckled jaw, giving in to that urge when the redhead's hand twitched against her back, gripping a fistful of Elsa's nightgown.

"Are you all right?" Elsa whispered, unconsciously holding her breath until Anna responded.

"Yes, I'm fine." She voice shook and her hand twitched again.

Far from convinced, Elsa nuzzled the younger woman's jaw anyway, lips occasionally brushing Anna's skin. "You know what isn't fair?"

Anna seemed to regain some of her composure at the question, leaning her cheek on Elsa's so the queen's lips now hovered close to the redhead's ear. "What's that?"

Elsa almost shivered now; Anna's own lips were rather close to _her_ ear as well. "You have so many more freckles than me," she said, voice taking on a whine that was wholly unbecoming of a queen. A snort answered her and she felt Anna begin to laugh. She pulled back to frown, and managed, even if Anna giggling was so _very_ adorable.

The princess' hand relaxed, rubbing Elsa's back in soothing circles, "You aren't honestly jealous, are you? _You_ are the most beautiful woman in the world, Elsa, not to mention a great queen and mistress of a wonderful," Anna tilted her head, eyes softening as mock disbelief faded into honest affection, "if… _potent_, magical gift. You are amazing."

Elsa felt her face heat up but forced herself to maintain eye contact. She nodded, "I appreciate your compliments, love, but what I meant was more that the sun has kissed you more than I have," the queen smiled mischievously when Anna blanched and went scarlet, "and that is grossly unfair." Leaning down again, Elsa used her nose to push the princess' head to the side and kissed her neck again, softly, chastely, murmuring, "So many kisses to make up for. I've missed being affectionate with you _so much_, Anna."

Anna shifted again, pulling Elsa half on top of her and wrapping both arms tightly around the older royal. "We have plenty of time now. We have the rest of forever."

_She sounds so resolute, as if nothing would ever _dare_ to separate us again_, Elsa thought, reflecting that perhaps nothing or no one ever _could_. The thought filled her with joy. In the dark, her fingers traced mindless patterns up Anna's arm, across under her jaw, until the cool of silver and ice met her searching hand. Elsa lightly clutched the snowflake pendant, smiling into the lazy kisses she was again pressing to her sister's heated skin when Anna only gave a breathy laugh and turned her head to kiss Elsa's brow in return.

"I had fun showing that off tonight," she told the queen, who could hear the smile in Anna's voice. "Everyone was amazed by it, as they should be, of course, but it felt fantastic to tell people that, _yes_, the Queen made it for me." The redhead sounded so proud, almost like she was preening under the remembered attention, and Elsa did not miss the extra inflection Anna gave her title.

Chuckling, she kissed just behind Anna's ear, lingering as the scent of fresh cut grass and fragrant blossoms filled her nose, eyes fluttering shut. _Even in the dead of natural winter Anna smells of spring_. Elsa felt drunk again, but doubted the wine was somehow regaining its faded effects. No, she was drunk on Anna's scent, Anna's quiet sighs as the blonde continued to offer the gentle press of lips to her warm neck and jaw line, the taste of Anna's freckled skin, and the feeling of completeness that swelled under her breast as she rested in the princess' arms. _I would do it all again, for this, if I had to. I would do most anything to feel this, this _rightness, _with Anna_. It was her reward, Elsa reasoned silently, _their reward_, for everything the sisters had suffered.


End file.
